THUGS caught carrying a knife WILL be caged, David Cameron hinted yesterday.

The Prime Minister spoke out in the Commons days after two teens were stabbed to death in London.

Ministers have already ordered a review of sentences handed to criminals.

But Mr Cameron made clear he wanted the full weight of the law thrown at yobs with blades.

Speaking at PM's Questions, he declared: "We need to send out a signal that it's not a defensive measure, it's not a cool thing to do.

"It should not happen and the punishment will be tough."

Before the election, Tories had said anyone convicted of a knife crime "can expect to face a prison sentence."

But the crackdown was not part of the coalition agreement signed with the Lib Dems, raising concerns the proposal had been ditched.

The PM spoke out after Zachary Olumegbon, 15, and Ailton Campos, 16, were killed by blades in separate attacks in the past week.

Labour MP Chuka Umunna urged Mr Cameron to act to stop the wave of killings that have claimed 14 teens in London this year.

The PM said it was vital to break the deadly grip of gangs on many young people - and strengthen families.

It's great to see Cameron getting tough on knife crime but can he really deliver the promises he makes to incarcerate people caught carrying knives?

Prisons are already overcrowded as it is. Where exactly are all these thugs going to be banged up? And for how long?

I'm not convinced knee jerk statements such as the one Cameron has made in the wake of two more victims to knife crime are a good idea. Sure, it gets the backing of the public and the PM is seen to be trying to do something about the problem but IMO it's not the solution.

Knife crime is a sympton of deeper underlying social problems and until those are properly addressed it's never going to go away.

We're entering into a period of Austerity according to Cameron. In other words...we're entering into a period where everyone is skint. Public services are being cut and people are being laid off. These are all the necessary ingredients for a spike in all types of crime.

We simply don't have the time, money or resources to jail people caught carrying knives and it irritates me that this Government thinks we are stupid enough to believe for a moment that we do.

So...what exactly IS the best way to deal with knife crime on our streets?

I don't think there is much of a way. If people can't carry knives they'll carry hammers. Hammers get outlawed they'll carry glass bottles. Glass bottles get outlawed they'll carry Fountain pens if need be!! The pen is mighter than the sword after all.......

Bottom line is if someone wants to cause harm to another person there are a thousand ways to do it. All they'll do is make thugs shift to a different slightly more discreet weapon. What they need to tackle is the mind set, not the weapons used.

The knife culture in Britain has to be curbed and preferably stopped. The problem is that a jail sentence is seen as a badge of honour not a punishment. What jail term can these thugs be expecting i don't know but i would say it is probably months not years. I personally don't know what punishment should be dealt out to these thugs but i do know to stop it they need to be shamed and not treated like hero's, jail in itself is not a deterrent and the thought of jail does not scare them as they are treated better in prison than on the outside and when they are released they are seen as hero's by other thugs. A punishment is only a punishment when it is something that you do not want to do.

A lot of kids now are joining gangs for various reasons, once they are in the gang they want to stand out and go up the ranks, one way of doing this is to act tough so the carry a weapon the next thing to do is use it on someone. The gang culture needs to be tackled imo.

I noticed in the last 2 stabbings it was the female members of the gang or the G/F of the gang members that instigated the stabbings. Girls are now becoming more vocal and more aggressive in gangs. Gangs have been a round for a long time and will always be around Teddy boys, Mods, Rockers, Skin heads, Hells Angels ect but usually gangs seemed to fight each other and i think (although i may be wrong) they left the none gang members alone. Nowadays gangs seem to target the innocent and vulnerable or go mob handed so they out number the target.